Ed meets world
by AFH
Summary: It has been almost 6 years ago since the Ed's were making scams and trying to trick the neighbourhood-kids... PG13 because of upcoming stuff -CHAPTER 20 IN-
1. The Awakening

_Author's note:_

_This fanfic is situated after the well-known and monumental 'Take this Ed and shove it' episodes. For the people that do not know where I am talking about: The last episodes of the fourth season of Ed, Edd n Eddy. In that episode, we get a little confuzed.. are the Eds old and were the episodes we saw just Eddy's memories of their young years, or is Eddy having a nightmare about becoming old?_

_Even though we will find out the truth in the upcoming fifth and sixth seasons, I'd like to present you my ideas..._

* * *

_"Eddy?"_

Eddy could hear his name being called in the distance. He looked around himself, but only saw images of himself and his friends, being old, and then, all of the sudden, being kids again..

_"Eddy? Wake up, Eddy. You're dreaming."_

The voice became more clear as the images changed into a reddish color. Eddy finally noticed that his eyes were closed, and he was laying in the sun. Slowly but surely, he could also hear the sounds on the background.

"Eddy?"

He opened his eyes, and blinked as the sunshine shone brightly into them. When he looked around, Ed came into his vision.

The big guy smiled at him.

"Good morning, Cinderella!" Ed said happily.

"Aurora." a familiar voice corrected, "The fairytale you meanth is the Sleeping Beauty, and according to the fairytale of Grimm, the princess was named Aurora, also known as Briar Rose. Even though not many people know that... she's still known by the nickname Sleeping Beauty."

It was Edward who gave his friends the lecture. As Eddy looked over to his hat-wearing friend, he noticed some new things. Edd was no longer wearing his trademark black beany, and his black hair was flowing next to his face. Eddy knew that Edd had long hair, but it seemed to have grown a lot longer. Also, the red t-shirt and purple pants were replaced by an army-green, sleeveless shirt and darkgreen, baggy pants. As Edd was trying to adjust the snares of a guitar, Eddy took a closer look at Ed.

The big doofus hasn't changed a bit. He was still wearing his old clothes, and still had his happy look on his face. The only thing that might have changed was that he grew taller then he already was.

It all made Eddy wonder.

"Hey, Double-D, how long have I been out cold?" he asked.

"Uhm, about half an hour, I think. You still have fifteen minutes left until next class." Edd answered, brushing his hair out of his face.

Eddy was still wondering. All those scams and fun and laughter... were they realy memories? Were those just small dreams? And why did he dream about being old?

He thought he was going bananas. They seemingly have grown up, but still, he couldn't remember of what he did an hour ago, where he was at this very moment, and what his plans were for the future.

All became more clear when he saw a familiar figure running towards them. It wasn't a figure of one of the Cul-de-Sac kids, but still, he recognized her.

As the girl reached them, she sat herself next to Ed, who gave her a hug. She giggled, heavily breathing from all the running.

"Hi guys!" she said, smiling.

While Ed greeted her with a loud 'Hello Eden!', Eddy thought about how they met Eden...

* * *

_Okays, end of chapter 1!_

_Please notice that I am still Dutch, and that english is a foreign language for me. So do not tell me that my grammar sucks until you can write a Dutch story without any mistakes in the vocabulary._

_Ed, Edd n Eddy © A.K.A. Cartoon_

_Eden © Artwork From Hell_


	2. Truth or Dare

Three years ago, the Ed's still lived in the Cul-de-Sac.. Nothing much had changed back then, except for the kids' behaviour towards the Ed's.

They were finally allowed to join in games, and they got accepted by the others.. or at least they thought so..

One day, the kids gathered to play a game of 'Thruth or Dare'. Eddy was bragging about how good he was with this game, and Kevin tried not to pay much attention to it. He had other things in mind.

After a few turns, Kevin gave the bottle a twist, and it stopped while pointing at Edd.

Edd swallowed. He knew that Kevin would ask him to do something embarrasing if he'd choose 'dare', but he didn't like to risk giving away a secret if he'd choose 'truth'. Taking a deep breath, Edd decided to say what popped up into his mind, first.

"Truth."

Kevin smiled. He got the sockhead right where he wanted him.

"Okay..." he said as he stood up and walked over to Edd, "Tell us a secret that even the other two dorks... and even your own family... doesn't know about."

Edd started sweating. Great, he said truth, and now he had to tell them all...

"Maybe you can adjust your question, Kev." Nazz suggested, "Like, he has to tell just one of us?"

Kevin was thinking while he looked at Nazz. Then, once again, the smirk appeared on his face.

"Tell Ed your secret..."

Edward sighed. He was saved by Nazz.

After he whispered something in Ed's ear, who was smiling foolishly, he quickly took the bottle and wanted to spin it.

Ed's smile disappeared, and he seemed to think for a few seconds. As he gave up, he turned himself to Eddy.

"What's 'bisexual', Eddy?" he asked.

All the kids were stunned by Ed's question, and Edd dropped the bottle of shock. Kevin was the first one to make a sound. The sound of laughter.

Edd turned his head away from the others. He felt ashamed. Not only because of Kevin's reaction, but also because of himself. Why did he feel the way he did. Why did he happen to love boys just as much as he loved girls. Why was he... himself...

And so he ran. He ran away from the others, and from himself.

But for some reason he didn't ran towards his own home. He ran towards the old abandoned house. The house where he and his friends were once tricked by the Kanker sisters into marrying them.

He could hear his friends calling for him, and Kevin's horrible laughter behind him.

As he reached the house, he slammed the door closed behind him. He wanted to burst out in tears.. to let out his fear and anger..

_But then he heared music..._

* * *

_Chapter 2 done!_

_Where o where does the music come from? and will Kevin ever stop laughing?_

_Please notice that I am still Dutch, and that english is a foreign language for me. So do not tell me that my grammar sucks until you can write a Dutch story without any mistakes in the vocabulary._

_Ed, Edd n Eddy © A.K.A. Cartoon_

_Eden © Artwork From Hell_


	3. Eden has been found

That music... It didn't belong in a house like this... It was too modern...

Edd immediately forgot about what just had happened outside, and searched for the source. It came from upstairs...

As he slowly went up the stairs, the music seemed to fade. He froze when he heared footsteps coming his way. A shadow appeared on the brick wall.

"Hello? Someone there?" a female voice asked.

Edd couldn't speak. His troath was too dry to do so. A young woman walked into the hallway, towards the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

A shiver went down his spine. She asked _him_ what _he_ was doing there? _She_ was the one that shouldn't be all alone in that old house on a sunny day like this. Why did he never notice her in the Cul-de-Sac?

"I heard the music playing." he answered, "I wanted to know where it came from. And what are you doing here?"

"I live here." she explained.

"What? You actually live here? How long have you been here, then... I've never noticed you around." he stammered.

"I've been here my whole life. But I've also been training my whole life. That's why you never saw me before, I guess. I only get outside to get some food once in a while."

"Training? For what? And if you get out to get food, you need money, right? So where did you get the money from?"

"So many questions." she sighed, "I've been training my rhythmical gymnastics for years, because that's what I've promised my dad... And I get the money from old bottles and cans that I find laying around... and there's enough antiques around here to sell just in case..."

"And, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?"

"I don't know where my mom is. And my dad died many years ago."

"Oh... sorry..."

Edd examined the girl. Her skinny figure and pale skin made her look like a ghost, and her dark purple hair didn't help her look much healty, either. It seemed that she was tired. Her black eyes looked soulless to him. The only brightly colored things about her were her filthy, red, oversized shirt and a bright red star on the beany she was wearing.

"It's okay, I've learned to live with it." she said softly as she turned her back on Edd, "Now, if you don't mind, I'll start training again."

"I...I didn't catch your name." Edd said, walking after her.

"I didn't tell you my name." she answered, looking over her shoulder.

Edd sticked out his arm towards her.

"I'm Edward. Edd, for short."

She looked at his hand, and after a few seconds, she took it.

"Eden."

* * *

_Until so far, chapter 3!_

_And thus, Edd met Eden... and now, Eden has to meet the others._

_If she wants to get out the house, that is..._

_Ed, Edd n Eddy © A.K.A. Cartoon_

_Eden © Artwork From Hell_


	4. From D to D

"Mire de cerca, Eduardo." a voice interrupted.

Eddy looked over to Edd, who was now accompanied by a tall man, Edd's cousin, who was working as a musicology-teacher at their school.

"Esto es cómo usted afina una guitarra."

Eddy disliked the Spanish vocabulary. In fact, he hated it. He didn't understand a word of what the two were saying. But still, he didn't say anything about it. He'd learned to respect the fact that his friend was Mexican-Italian, and that his family spoke more Spanish then English with him.

Edd had always hidden the fact that he was a Latino. His father told him so. It was always Edd's father who made up the rules for him. The man disliked their Latin background, and so he'd changed Eduardo's name into 'Edward'. To make sure that no-one would ever find out, he'd also changed the family's last name, de la Costa, into 'Coast'. Though his wife was proud of her Mexican blood. She kept just a little bit of Latino alive in Edd. She teached him some Spanish, and stimulated him to grow his hair, just like all the men of her family, to show their pride of freedom. All this was done while his father was at work. She could hide the Mexican and Spanish books easily, but Edd's hair was a problem. Therefor, she got him a black hat, to hide the long, black locks from her husband.

Until that one day. Eden had just recovered from her illness, when a big, orange car parked in front of Edd's house. The three Ed's and Eden were in the frontyard, trying to come up with a new scam, when someone patted on Edd's shoulder.

"¿Hola Eduardo, cómo usted es, amigo?"

Edd looked to the man, and stood up. He started to laugh.

"Stuart!" he replied, "Uh... buenos, muchos buenos!"

This time, it was the man's turn to laugh.

"Maybe it's better if I'd just talk English." he said.

"That would be nice. I'm not that good in Spanish, yet." Edd answered.

"That's not a problem. I've been living in England for such a long time, I'd almost forgot the vocabulary, too." Stuart smirked.

Eddy suddenly realized that Eden was staring at Stuart, completely speachless. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, which seemed to have some effect. She started to stammer.

"Y-y-you are T-t-t..."

"2D, Gorillaz, yes. I've left the group for a short while to come and visit my cousin. Do you mind calling me 'Stu' as long as I'm not with the others?" he replied.

All Eden could do was nodd. She was still stunned. Who would know that Stuart '2D' Tusspot was Double-D's friend! She turned white by the thought of it, and started to sweat just because she was now so close to her idol. As Ed saw this, he started to panic.

"Eden's turning sick again, Eddy!" Ed yelled.

Eddy tried to calm Ed down, as Stuart felt Eden's forehead with the back of his hand. Eden started to blush and turned her head away.

"It's just a little crush, I guess." Stuart smirked, "I don't know why those teenage-girls get those while an entertainer is around."

Edd crossed his arms. For some reason, he didn't like Eden's little 'crush' on his cousin. Besides, it was him who saved her! He was the one Eden should have a crush on! He remembered himself what had happened a few weeks ago, right after he'd met her for the first time...

* * *

_Messy chapter! Okay, just to make sure you still know what's happening: This chapter was more about the arrival of Stuart, and Edd's background._

_Next chapter will be about what had happened after Edd met Eden._

_Still following? Okay! See ya around, and keep the comments coming!_


	5. The paradise fades

The day after Edd met Eden, Edd woke up early. He hadn't got much sleep that night, because his brain just kept bringing thoughts about Eden. About how pale she was... how skinny she looked... and how lonely she must've been all these years, hearing the other kids playing outside, while she was inside the old house, training to not break the promise she made to her father. He suddenly thought about himself. How he had to make a promise to his own father, to keep his secret about being a Latino hidden. He couldn't fully understand why his father didn't want people to know about his family's history, but it'd probably have something to do with his work. There were still many companies that wouldn't take a Latino as their employee. The prejudice of Latino's being lazy played an important part in this. It didn't make any sence to Edd. His family always worked hard...

After Edd made himself ready for the day, he walked out the house to meet his friends at Eddy's place. He walked past Eden's house, and a cold shiver went down his spine. He knew something was wrong, and many images flashed through his head. Maybe the girl had hurt herself badly, or did something to herself in a desperate situation...

Edd walked into the old house, and he could hear Eden's slow, hard breating. She was taking deep breaths, he could hear that clearly. He went up the stairs, like he did the day before, and walked to the room where the music used to play.

It was dark in the room, though Edd could see the figure of the young woman, leaning on an old table. She looked at him with teary eyes.

"I feel so tired, Edd..." she whispered.

Edd walked up to her, and held her shoulders. He didn't knew what to do, and wished that Ed and Eddy were there, next to him.

All of the sudden, Eden dropped on her knees, and laid herself down on the cold, wooden floor. She started to breathe more heavy. Edd started to panic, when all of the sudden he heared voices.

It was Eddy talking outside. Edd's thoughts were racing through his head. Was he going to get Eddy? He couldn't just leave Eden alone like this. Maybe if he'd shout out the window in the next room?

Edd decided to work out his last thought, and he ran to the other room. He opened the window and spotted his friends.

"Ed, get in the house and go upstairs! Eddy, call a doctor!" he yelled, and went back inside.

"Good morning to you, too, Sockhead." Eddy mumbled, raising an eyebrow.

Ed was just running into the house, laughing happily. He didn't knew why his friend had told him to come inside, but it might be something cool... like a chicken. The thought of Edd having a lot of chickens inside the house made Ed laugh even harder.

Ed looked around as he entered the house. He didn't see any chickens. Maybe they were upstairs, because Edd had asked him to come upstairs anyway.

In the meanwhile, Edd was walking in and out the room, waiting for Ed to arrive. He felt miserable. Why did he need his friends to help him out? Why couldn't he be the hero for once, saving Eden's life all by himself? Edd walked a bit further into the hallway.

"Don't leave me alone, Edd..." he could hear the sick girl whisper, "I don't want to die alone... I'm too afraid..."

These words brought tears in Edd's eyes. He was afraid, too. And he didn't have a clue what to do in a situation like this...

* * *

_Chapter 5 fin. I'm not saying anything about this... just review, please!_


	6. And then, there was light

Eden was afraid of what was about to happen. She could feel her heart skipping a beat every minute or so, and she couldn't breathe correctly.

She blinked for a few times. Was it just her imagination, or was the room getting darker? Maybe it was getting dark, or maybe she was turning blind...

She thought about what had happened before... she was just training, as usual, when all of the sudden she felt dizzy and tired. She had to hold the table to not fall down. The music had slowly faded away. "Sick and Tired" was playing on the radio, she recalled, and she smirked, though there were tears in her eyes. Maybe she had trained too much... no... it couldn't be that, could it? She had trained day and night ever since her father's death, so why should she get ill because of that, now? Why now...now she had made a new friend... finally...

She looked over to the hazy figure in the hallway. Edward. He was waiting, but for what? Why didn't he come over to her and do something... anything...

A bigger figure came into the hallway, and was walking along with Edd, towards her. She closed her eyes, and just wanted it all to be over. She wouldn't die alone... Edd was with her...

Ed looked at the lifeless body on the wooden floor. This wasn't a chicken, but a girl. Edd was talking to him, panicing, but all Ed saw was the girl. All Ed heared was the girl's breathing. All Ed wanted was to help...

To Edd's amazement, Ed didn't just throw Eden over his shoulder and run off. Instead, the large guy picked her up very carefully, and turned to Edd.

"Where are we going, Double-D?" he asked.

"Down... downstairs..." Edd replied, and pointed to the hallway.

Ed walked down the stairs, trying not to move Eden out her current position in his arms. Edd followed them...

Eden felt the warmth of the sun on her face as they walked out the door. The fresh air tickled her lungs, and the noise she heard for so many years were finally clear voices, and no longer at the other side of the walls. Feeling safe in the tall man's arms, she opened one eye. The figures were still blurred, but she did see a whole diversity of colors...red and green, blue and yellow, black and white... this outside-world was so colorfull...

As she closed her eye again, she started to drift away... turning her face towards the man again, she brushed her nose against the green fabric of his coat...

And she fell asleep...

Eddy snapped out of his daydream once again. His friends were packing their bags again to go to their classes. He searched his own bag for his agenda, when Eden called out his name. She smiled at him, and told him to come with her, ever since they both had the same class now.

Eden. Good old Eden. She had changed the Ed's lives... They finally started to grow up because of her. Their lives no longer were filled with scams and jawbreakers, but those things moved over for the care of Eden. After spending 3 weeks in the hospital because of a tumor in her head, Eden became afraid to be alone. That's why she spends days and nights with the Ed's, her new friends...

And they don't mind...

Because it's all for Eden.

* * *

_Tadaah, until so-far chapter 6. Hope you enjoyed :3 Please review!_

_Sick and Tired © Anastacia_


	7. D

While the group split up to go to their classes, Edd was joined by two other men.

The one guy, who was nicknamed 'Ghost' by his friends, was a shy, pale young man. His light-blonde, almost white hair and very light-blue eyes truly made him look like a spirit. The first time Edd saw him, he thought he was dreaming... that there was a spirit standing at his side... but this spirit was still alive, and in his class...

The other guy though, was totally different. He seemed to have endless energy, always doing stuff and talking about everything. Also, he didn't mind what people might think of him. He just did what he wanted to do and say what he wanted to say. His name was Denzell, Dell for short. He was tanned, toned and tall, and therefor very attractive for the girls. His dark-brown skin and black hair gave away his African background, but his eyes gave him a freaky look. He had greenish-gray eyes. The color of a sloth's fur, Ghost would say...

Those two were the total opposite to each other, but still were friends. The friendship with Edd was about the only thing they had in common.

While Dell was talking to Ghost about the use of anaesthetics in an emergency situation, Edd longed for the summer holiday. It was just a few weeks left before he could finally return to the Cul-de-Sac, and see his neighbours again. His cousin would come with him again, and they'd have a great summer. Stu didn't like rules very much, and so Edd could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Also, Stu had given him his childhood back, doing all of Edd's chores and eventually getting rid of all the sticky-notes, which were all over the place.

Stuart came to his house because of his mother. She'd asked her nephew to keep an eye on her son, ever since she and her husband weren't at home that much. And so Stuart came, and didn't leave. But Edd's parents did. He had asked Stu so many times why his parents didn't return home any more, but his cousin didn't answer. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't have a clue, either.

Edd had waited every day for his parents to come home.

But days became weeks... weeks became months... months became years...

And Edd gave up...

When he finally realized that his father and mother might never return, his heart almost broke, but was held together by the love and care he got from Stu and his friends. Still, there was an empty space in his heart, and that'd always be there. He felt betrayed by his parents. He'd tried to be a good son for his whole life, doing everything they told his to do, and always being polite. Why did they leave him, then? What was the reason of this sudden disappearing? Didn't his parents care for him any longer? Did they _ever_ care for him?

He'd asked these questions over and over to Stu, but he didn't knew it any more...

He didn't knew many things... not any longer...

Because he was hurt, too, and almost forgot what love was...

Until he suddenly had to love,

Charise,

Care...

For a boy that used to be his cousin,

But now became his son...

* * *

_Special chapter introducing Ghost and Dell_

_I'd like to dedicate this chapter to GhostHelwig, the creator of Ghost, and the one which gave me more inspiration for the 2D - Double-D relationship :D_

_Ghost © GhostHelwig_

_Dell © Artwork From Hell_

_2D (Stuart) © Gorillaz_

_Double-D © Ed, Edd n Eddy_


	8. After Eden

While Edd had to run the course as a part of his Army-Doctor study, Eddy was not paying attention to whatever the teacher said in Economy-class. His mind seemed to drift back to the past every minute of the day. Eddy didn't care if he'd miss something important or not... he'd get to hear it from Eden anyway.

Eden... she drove him insane... the way she walked... talked... no matter what she did, she'd make something pop inside Eddy's brain. Though he didn't want this feelings for her inside of him. He knew that she wouldn't feel the same for him, anyway. Sure, she hanged around with him, but that was because she was just a friend. That he was just a friend to her... Besides, she hugged Ed more often then she hugged him, and talked a lot more to Double-D. He was just a friend who she could fool around with....

His eyes trailed from the whiteboard to Eden. She noticed this, and smiled at him. Eddy just smiled back, and stared to the whiteboard, again. But not for long. He found himself looking at the purple-haired girl once again. She had closed her eyes, obviously bored of the lecture...

It all made Eddy remember the old days once again.

How he had spent day and night at Eden's bed when she was in the hospital, feeling devastated because he wanted to help her so bad, but couldn't do anything. He knew his friends felt the same... Double-D was depressed, and Ed was stunned.

They never thought about fatal diseases before, until all this... and now, it felt like they all had a fatal disease. A disease, which had found it's way into their bodies, having a big effect on them all. It made them discover a new side of themselves, a side that was all about caring and protecting each other. A side that would make them fight for their lives.

This disease didn't seem that bad, come to think of it. It made them all realize that there were more things in life beside Jawbreakers... that there were more things to worry about beside money... that there were more people around them beside themselves...

They were growing up, and this disease, named Eden, made it all clear.

And Eddy didn't mind it... he felt ready for it... he _was_ ready for it...

And his friends were, too. They were all in this, together. They were ready to protect and charise what they loved most. They'd work together, as a team, to give their loved one a warm welcome into her new home. A home, created by them...

But deep in their hearts, they all knew that they'd fight against each other, too. To gain the victory... to win her heart...

_They were all after Eden._


	9. The smell of jasmine

He remembered how peacefull she was laying there, in the hospital-bed. Her dark purple hair... a big part of it was shaved off on the back of her head, where the tumor had been... Now, it was covered by a bandage, the remaining loose hairs flowing over the white pillow. Her pale, soft skin was now filled with all colors and sizes of bruises. She had been injected with all kinds of medications, and all kinds of machines were connected to her. She couldn't eat on her own any more, and was fed through a catheter.

It was midnight when Eddy had woken up by the sudden movement of Eden's hand... the first sign of life she gave after the surgery...

He sat next to her, laying his head back down on the side of the bed and watched her chest move up and down. Her fingers moved once again, and he carressed them. His head was laying close to her left arm, and he could smell her scent... she smelled like jasmin... a scent that didn't belong in such a sterile place like this...

He was about to doze off, when he heared a soft, warm voice...

"Hi..."

He looked up, and met the eyes of the young woman. She smiled at him, and looked around, spotting the other two boys who've saved her life, both asleep.

"Hi..." Eddy replied, his throath feeling dry.

"Thank you..." she whispered, her eyes resting on Eddy again.

"For what?" he asked.

"For being here..."

Eddy laid his head back on the bed, and closed his eyes. He felt quite tired of all the pondering.

"You're welcome." he sighed, taking one last look at the girl.

She closed her eyes as well, and put her hand on his arm, smiling. He could feel the tube, that was connected to her hand, brush against his arm. The cold plastic made him shiver as he dozed off...

* * *

_I don't put any author's note's below every single chapter any more, so, this is for all the upcoming chapters: COMMENT S'IL VOUS PLAÎT! It makes me feel good :3_


	10. Protection

Eddy snapped out of his daydream by a sudden bang. He looked surprized as he realized that Eden had slapped her book on his desk. She was laughing out loud, with tears in her eyes, as she told him that the class was dismissed.

"You should've seen your face, Eddy!" she giggled, "It was so cute!"

Eddy grumbled. He didn't exactly like it to be called 'cute'.

In the meantime, Edd was laying in the grass, resting. His education had changed him both physically and psychically. He studied to become an army-doctor, and that meanth he also had to train hard to keep himself fit. He did became a lot stronger then he used to be. Man, he could even push Ed away if he wanted to...

The sun warmed his skin, when someone threw a shadow over him. Ghost was standing above him, panting.

"Edd, there's a fight going on!" Ghost said.

"So? It's not like I've got anything to do with it." Edd replied. He didn't want to go and see how the fight was going.

"It's Kevin..." his friend replied, trying to catch his breath, "He's about to beat up Eden!"

Edd got up quickly.

"What?! Why?!"

"There was a rumour going through the school... about Kevin... and Kevin thought Eddy started that rumour, so he was about to beat him up! But Eden tried to prevent him from doing that. Now Kevin is about to lose his patience and hit Eden instead!"

Edd held Ghost, shaking him.

"WHERE ARE THEY!?" he yelled at the pale boy.

"The big field!" Ghost yelled back.

The Latino let go of Ghost, and ran towards the big field in front of the school. He would never let anyone hurt Eden, expecially not Kevin...


	11. The fight

"Get lost, Eden!" Kevin growled. He realy wanted to beat up that short dork. It was all his idea to start a rumour about him.

Eden was standing between Eddy and Kevin, trying to not look scared. If Kevin wanted Eddy, he should get past her, first.

Kevin was about to lose control. It didn't matter that she was a girl any more. All he wanted was to beat up Eddy. If he had to beat Eden for that: fine. So be it.

He raised his fist, and was about to hit Eden when all of the sudden he was pushed onto the ground. He felt something hit his stomache, and the air was hit out of him.

Eden was stunned, and walked backwards. The boy, who was always so sweet and tender, was now beating the hell out of Kevin. She was not the only one who was stunned. From all sides of the field, youngsters came to see what was going on...

She finally felt Ed's arms wrap around her. He always made her feel safe and sound as he held her.

The fight ended as Dell ran into the circle and pulled Edd off from the red-haired boy. He was yelling at him, telling him to quit the fight and leave Kevin alone. But Edd didn't listen. He was steaming mad, and ready to slam Kevin straight back to where he came from. He managed to get loose from Dell's grip and hit the battered boy, who was still laying on the ground, once more. Until Eden threw herself in front of Kevin.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled, and Edd backed off, bouncing into Dell.

"It's enough..." she repeated, "...he has learned his lesson. Now leave him alone, Edd."

Edd looked at Kevin. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth, and was crying silently. Was this realy what he had done? Did he realy beat up Kevin that much that he was crying? He looked to his hands, which were covered with Kevin's blood.

Eden was now commanding people around, telling them to get a doctor, or just to leave. She didn't notice that Edd was staring at her...


	12. Dry your eyes

After Kevin was taken to the sickbay, people started to walk back to the school, leaving the four Eds alone on the grassfield. Ed and Eddy were standing next to each other, watching their friends. Eden was still standing with her back towards Edd. She didn't want to look at him. Not now. Not now she saw this whole other, negative, side of him.

Edd walked up to his female friend, and laid his hand on her shoulder. He felt confused. He wanted to help her, but also wanted to walk away from this place. He knew he went too far...

She shaked his hand off her shoulder, and turned towards him, looking straight at him with anger in her eyes.

"Do you realize what you've done?" she whispered, "You've hospitalized a guy who did nothing."

"Nothing yet." Edd replied, "I just wanted to help..."

"I do not need help, Edd! In case you haven't noticed, I can take perfectly good care of myself!"

She shook her head lightly and looked down to the grass below. There were small, red drops visible, sliding onto the cold, dark ground, which sucked it up into itself.

She walked past him, towards the others. Their shoulders softly touched each other as she did so. He looked over his shoulder, but only to stare into the slowly darkening sky. His friends walked off, and only Eddy stood still for a moment, to see if his friend would come along with them. But Edd just stood there, like his mind had stopped working...

A hand patted Edd's back, and a shiver went down his spine. It felt like his life was crashing before his eyes, and it was all his own fault. There was a big chance that he'd be suspended from school, and so he would never finish his education. But that wasn't his biggest fear. He could do another education if he wanted to. No. He was afraid of the thought that Eden might never want to speak to him, again.

He walked away with the man who was his cousin... his guardian... his mentor...

...the one who could either have a positive or negative effect on his future...

But Edd feared it would all be negative...

* * *

_I got my inspiration from 'Dry your eyes' by The Streets ©, that's why the title is also called 'Dry your eyes'._


	13. In the shadows

It was almost midnight as Stuart was still sitting at his desk in the teacher's room. He was trying to find out what the best solution was to his cousin's problem. The rules read that, in a situation like this, the offender should be suspended.

But Stuart didn't want to do this. It was just a few weeks left until the exams, and it would be too bad to kick his cousin out of school for those last few weeks. All his hard work would be for nothing, then.

Stuart stretched himself, and laid back into the old, but still comfortable chair. Half past twelve. There wouldn't be anyone awake at this time.

He finally made a decision. A decision that could lead to his discharge. But he didn't think about that. He would let his cousin stay in school, even after what he had done. It was against the official rules, but rules are there to be broken, Stuart thought to himself.

After he turned off the computer, and cleaned up the paperwork on his desk, Stuart longed for his bed. He'd have to wake up early next morning, to get some tests ready. A whole day of teaching and listening to screwed-up music was waiting for him. He sighed. Why did he take this job again? Oh, yes, to support himself and his cousin.

He cursed at the thought of his uncle and aunt, who had just left him at the Cul-de-Sac with his younger cousin. They were the ones who wanted to have children, and got one. Not him. He never wanted kids. Sure, he didn't mind taking care of Edd, but if he had a second chance...

Stuart stood at the door, thinking... If he had a second chance...

He would've done the same thing as he did now...

After Stuart closed the door behind him, he saw a small figure standing in the hallway...

* * *

_I've realized that I always write short chapters... Sorry about that, in case you dislike that... maybe it's because I dislike very long chapters. Why I dislike them? Well, sometimes I am in the middle of a chapter, when my mother wants me to help her out, or my dad has to work on the computer for a while (and we only have one computer), and thus I have to read very fast, or close the window and search the chapter and line again later. So I figured that short chapters are easy to read for people who get interrupted many times..._

_Aww well, next chapter might contain sexual situations, so I might have to change the PG-rate... But I'll have to discuss it with my good friends GhostHelwig and Forge-D (my very own Ed) first..._

_Keep the comments coming!_


	14. Promise

As he walked towards the young, feminine figure, he saw she was looking down at the ground. He knew what she was feeling deep inside. She felt lonely... and who wouldn't be after what happened. She had just lost one of her best friends... her only friends...

Stuart could never stand loneliness. Even if it wasn't its own, he could still not stand it.

He caressed her hair for a second, brushing it out of her face, and she looked up at him. She swallowed, and let her head rest against the palm of his warm, soft hand.

There they were standing, in the cold, dark hallway... Silent...

Stuart broke the silence after a minute or so.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

She just nodded, and walked with him to his room. He noticed that she was walking on bare feet, and was only wearing an oversized, white shirt and boxers.

"Are you cold?" he asked her, putting his arm around her.

"A bit..." she whispered very softly.

He pulled her even closer against him, hoping that that might warm her up a bit. They reached his room and went inside. Stuart was happy that he'd put the heating system on before he left to the teacher's room. He put the radio on as the girl sat down on the bed. He looked at her. She was staring at nothing, probably thinking of this whole situation, and feeling tired.

"Eden..." he said, sitting down next to her, "It's not your fault, if that's what you're thinking..."

"I just don't want him to be kicked out of school..." she replied.

"He isn't going to be kicked out, I promise..."

Eden looked at him, a tear moving down her cheek.

"Promise?"

Stuart brushed the tear off her cheek with his thumb, and smiled.

"Promise."

They looked into each other's eyes, and Stuart's mind seemed to go blank. His thoughts disappeared, drowning into the deep, dark river of loneliness where her eyes were filled with. A voice was yelling at him from the darkness of his, now empty, mind. Yelling that he didn't have to give in... yelling that this would be wrong... yelling that he shouldn't let go of his standards and merits...

But he didn't listen...

_And his lips met hers..._

* * *

_Mushy mushy mushy! Thanks to Forge-D and GhostHelwig for approving this pairing!_


	15. Postcard from London

Edd felt around for his guitar. It was dark in his room, and he couldn't get to sleep. The little light at the head of his bed didn't make it much lighter... his mobile phone could shine more light around than that old thing.

Finally, his guitar. He pulled it up onto his bed, and ran his hand over the body. He had gotten this guitar from Miho, who's better known as 'Noodle', for his 17th birthday. It was a Spitfire... V235...

He smiled of the thought of how his cousin had always stimulated him to get interested in music. According to Stuart, the Mexican side of the family always had been filled with musicians. Now there was only Stuart who became a real artist. And a darn good one, too. It was only when Edd went with his cousin to London to work on an album, that he became fully interested in music. He started to get singing lessons from Stuart, and Murdoc gave him some guitar-lessons.

Being around the Gorillaz was great for Edd's thoughts on life. After hanging around with the group for a few months, Edd found himself being more relaxed and less neurotic. He even started to look more laid-back. No longer did he wear his black hat day and night. No longer did he clean up after anyone and anything. And no longer did he allow people to use him for their own good.He had learned how to stand up for himself... How to ignore the teasing and the sly digs...

After the first time Murdoc had told him 'good job, kid', Edd finally felt accepted. He now knew his place in the gang, and he was glad enough to even be in the group. But the biggest part of his heart still belonged to Peach Creek, to his friends. He truly missed Eddy's scams, and Ed's stupidness. He missed Sarah's fierce towards whoever who dared to hurt Jimmy. In fact, he missed everyone and everything back home. Even the Kanker-attacks. He'd told all this to his cousin, who was high on medication at that moment because of a migrain. Stuart had only heared a few words of Edd's story, and mumbled something about 'Kanker' being the Dutch word for 'cancer'. The comparison of the Kanker-sisters with a terminal disease did make a bit sense to Edd. The Kankers were a big pest to the Eds, turning up when they least expected them to.

When Stuart told him they'd finally return back to Peach Creek, Edd couldn't be more happy. He wondered if his friends had changed as much as he did...

* * *

_Har-har-har! You must've expected to find a whole bunch of 2D/Eden sexx0r in this chapter, didn't you? Well, I just keep that chapter for GhostHelwig's EEnE-website! So, if you want to read the dirtyness, you should go to her website, you little pervy!_

_Greets, Hell-N_


	16. Stone versus Water

London… Paris… Amsterdam… it all seemed so far away for Ed. To think that there were other places than Peach Creek... to think there were other countries out there, with different cultures, different people and different customs... his head hurt by the thought of it. Double D had told him so much about those counties, and about countries even he didn't visit.

Ed wanted to travel, too. To see all those weird and funny places he heard about. To see the funny skirt-wearing men in Scotland, the huge bunnies in Australia and the weird giant heads on Easter-island. Compared to all those things, Ed's life seemed so... common...

To travel a bit more, Ed tried hard to become a trucker, or at least a delivery-guy... or at least a postman. To get closer to his dream, he got in school to learn more languages. Stuart was giving him some lessons in Spanish, and after a few weeks of studying, he finally learnt how to order a happy meal in Spanish.

As Ed laid there, in complete darkness, he heard a soft thud. It came from Edd's side of the room.

"Double-D?" he whispered.

"What?" a voice answered softly.

"Could you tell me about the world?"

Double-D sighed...

"Ed, I've already told you everything I know about all 129 countries. There is nothing more to tell..."

The dark shadow of the slim boy moved from the bed, through the room and towards the door.

"What are you gonna do?" Ed asked, the bright light on the hallway shone into his eyes, but still, he could see the figure standing in the door.

"Nothing, Ed. Just go to sleep, okay?"

Edd wanted to step outside, but once again, Ed asked him what he was going to do.

"Fumar." The black haired youngster replied, hoping his friend didn't knew that word, yet. But with no success.

"That's a bad thing." Ed said, stepping out of his bed and walking up to Edd.

Edd knew it would be useless to try and hold onto the little package of cigarettes. His friend had always been much bigger, and much stronger, than him. To avoid any struggling with the big guy, he dropped the package on the ground.

"Everyone dies one day." He told Ed, and walked out the room.

As Ed watched him, he could hear him whisper something.

"Caramba..."

* * *

_Aiaiai!_

_Long time no writing! Sorry!_

_I'm trying to learn more Spanish at the moment..._

_Hasta la vista!!_


	17. Trust

It was quite cold and dark outside when Edd walked over the grass-field, towards the old amphitheatre. It'd only be used in the summer, but, as the weather prepared itself for the upcoming winter, the theatre's only visitors would be small creatures, like mice, who want a nice, warm place to hibernate. It was also a great place if you wanted to be alone for a little while... to figure out your thoughts...

Stuart had always compared the amphitheatre with teenage life. "Your life is the theatre, and the world is the audience, while you are the only actor on stage. Everything depends on you. If you put up a good show, you'll receive more visitors, but if you fail, you might lose some. Anyway: The show must go on. "

Edd smiled by the thought of this. His cousin seemed to be some kind of philosopher, but in his very own way.

As he reached the theatre, and looked down, his breath caught. There was a small, white figure standing on the stage. "What's this?" he thought, "The phantom of the theatre or something?"

His curiosity made him walk down the stairs and towards the figure...

"Ghost?" he whispered, as the figure looked over at him, "What's up? What are you doing here?"

The other man smiled faintly.

"I'm not going to make it..."

"What do you mean by that? What aren't you going to make?" Edd replied, pulling himself up onto the hard, stone stage.

"This education..." Ghost said, looking away from his classmate.

"Why not? You've got good grades, don't you?"

"Yes, for the theory... but not for classes like the course and stuff."

"Do you have any idea how that's possible?"

"It's too hard for me, Edd! Can't you see that I... I... I'm just too weak for this! I..."

Edd held Ghost's shoulders, telling him to stop talking for a second.

"Ghost, you are a very good student and will be a very good doctor! Isn't it your dream to help victims of war?"

The blonde-haired man could only nod.

"Well then, I bet that you will get your certificate..."

"Do you realy think so?"

"I will cut my hair off if you don't!"

Ghost laughed.

"Beware, my friend! There's a big chance that I won't pass."

"I'm willing to take that chance. It'll be all in your own hands, and I am counting on you."

"And what if I fail? Will you be mad at me?"

"Nah, in that case, I'll have a new summer-haircut. Believe me, having long hair is like a hell during very hot days! You'll be very sweaty and... "

"Okay! Okay! I've got the point!" Ghost grinned, as both of them walked back towards the school.

All of the sudden, Edd stopped.

"¡Zurza! ¡Yo me olvidé de fumar!"

* * *

_Bad Spanish, I know ;)_

_If you have ideasor characters for the fic: please tell me!_


	18. Pondering

As the sun came up from behind the hills, Stuart woke up at the sound of his alarm-clock. After a couple of minutes listening to the annoying beeping, trying to ignore it, he slapped the old digital thing off the small desk it was standing on. He turned around when he suddenly thought of something...

Stuart felt around on the other side of his bed, and opened his eyes when feeling nothing but the sheets. He looked around himself, hoping to find what he was looking for. But there was no-one in the room, except for himself.

"Weird..." he thought, "I'm completely sure that she was here... or did I have a dream?"

He peered under his sheets.

"Must have had some last night anyway... I don't sleep without my undies on that often..."

The blue-haired man stepped out of bed, and walked around, searching for another clue of what exactly had happened the night before. Finding nothing at all, he decided to get himself ready for the day instead of thinking about the night before.

Standing under the shower, he tried to remember everything... but didn't succeed. His memory didn't work that well any more because of the brain-damage he got from Murdoc hitting him in the head. The only thing he really remembered was the warm, soft bump he had felt, tracking his fingers over her belly. It felt kind of weird, like it didn't belong there, but his mind was somewhere else at that moment, so he didn't ask her about it.

And now, she was gone, and he felt guilty. Sure, there was nothing wrong. He didn't take advantage of the situation, did he? She wanted this, too. Yes, she did. She didn't scream or yell or hit him, so it must've been okay to her, too...

...Right?

Then why did she leave? When did she leave? And if they have done.... stuff... why wasn't there any kind of contraception in the room? Maybe it was all a dream.... maybe he had let her out of his room, and fell asleep.

But he DID kiss her.... he DID feel the bump...

Stuart held his head. It felt like he was going to faint...

"Migraine..." he hissed.


	19. Just like a Pill

Pills. The pills. Those small things were the only way out of this miserable world...

A small jar, filled with the blue and yellow capsules, stood next to a big book on the table. Eden rubbed her face while looking out the window. How could she ever been so stupid! Sharing the bed with a man that was about 10 years older! Without protection! Without... protection...

Many thoughts ran through her mind. What if... what if she got pregnant? The guys would never forgive her... Edd would never forgive her... and Stuart? He would just pack his bags and leave. No way that he'd give up his entire life for a silly young girl who had accidentaly got pregnant because of him...

She picked up the jar from the table, and looked at it. It was some kind of drug... she didn't know the name of it, though... there was no label on it...

Opening the jar... shaking a few pills out of it... holding the pills... it all seemed unreal to Eden... Would she do it or not? It would be easy to lay down the pills and talk to someone... but who? There was no-one who would listen and keep it a secret...

She looked at the clock... 10:00... Normally, she would've been sitting in the classroom listening to their Economics-teacher...

But not this day... today, she will fill her day laying around, halucinating about happy things...

And so, after a few minutes of thinking things over, she brought two of the capsules to her mouth, and swallowed them...

The clock ticked softly while everything else in the room didn't make a noise... Nothing happened... The pills seemed to have no effect... Maybe if she took one more pill?

No, still nothing... and a minute has passed. Maybe it just takes more time...

She laid down on the cold, soft bed... Looking at the white ceiling above her...

All of the sudden, she started to feel weird... Happy kind of weird... She started to laugh, and rolled around on the bed...

Ed walked through the hallway back to his room after a few hours of learning Dutch. He repeated one line over and over, because he finally mastered the small scentance.

"Bonnetje tekenen, astublieft!"

He smiled to himself. Finally, FINALLY he knew how to tell Dutch people to sign the paperwork. It took him two months, but now, he knew it!

When reaching the door to the girls' chamber, where his female friend stayed, he heared laughter...

"Wow, someone is having fun in there...WANNA SEE!"

He opened the door, and found Eden rolling over the floor and sticking her arms out to the ceiling. When she saw him, she tried to get up. Ed helped her up, holding the girl close to him.

"What's funny, Eden?"

"You are! Funny little Ed!"

Normally, Ed would've just go with the flow and laugh with her, but now... he saw that there was something wrong... Her eyes looked weird...

"Should I get a doctor?"

Eden stopped laughing and looked around... the word 'doctor' reminded her of the situation she was in...

"No... no doctor..."

"I realy think you should see someone, Eden..."

"NO DOCTOR!"

She pulled herself out of the big guy's arms, and stumbled backwards...

"Why should I see a doctor?! WHY?! Do you think I'm pregnant? You do, don't you? Well, let me tell you something..."

She was now pointing at him... shivering.... silently...

"I am..." she whispered.

She sat back down, on the hard ground, and looked around like she didn't knew where she was...

"C-can I get you something?" Ed asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No... just... you..."

Ed held the pale girl, and kissed her forhead... he would tell his friends what happened, later... 


	20. Trouble

_Okay, last chapter was messy... sorry about that.  
Now, let's continue..._

* * *

"No...this can't be..." 

Stuart threw the small jar though the room, which flew against the wall with a hard thud.  
Ed looked at the pills which were now laying all over the flood...He had come to the mentor to talk about Eden's situation, but seemingly, this was a bad thing to do. After he showed him the pills, telling him that their female friend was taking them, Stuart had gone mad.

The blue-haired man was walking around now, holding his head with his hands... taking a cigarette out of the package on the table... Laying the cigarette back down... Picking it up again... Lighting it... taking a tugg... putting it out...

His mind went crazy... he saw images of himself and his friends being 'in a happy place'... he remembered how his cousin had once taken those same pills in a rebellic state...

His cousin... Eduardo...the guy of which you'd never think he'd take drugs... and he had taken the hardest, most effective drugs there was...

His thoughts drifted back to London, three years ago...

They had left the young man alone in the hotel, because they had a rehearsal... Seemingly, Murdoc happened to be quite hooked up on the strong drugs... he had left those in the hotel, too. Edd had felt bored, and didn't like it to be left alone while his older friends were out having fun... he had found the jar, and must've thought it would be 'cool' to take some...

When Stuart arrived back at the hotel, he found his cousin in an uncontrolable state... shaking, eyes looking around for things that only he saw, trying to flee from the things...

It was such a pathetic, horrible sight of the negative effect of the drugs...

Stuart had tried to make Edd snap out of his 'scary world', but with no success... After a few hours of seeing his young friend struggeling, yelling and panting, the pills finally had lost their dark magic, and Edd fell asleep, his heart still beating as crazy, and his body still shaking...

The next morning, Stuart had thrown every kind of pills out, and wanted to move back to Peach Creek as soon as possible...

And now, the pills had returned, and Eden became their victim... Stuart hoped that Eden would stay away from any kind of drugs now, but he had little hope...

Even after the negative effect of the drugs, Edd had started to smoke.  
Not just normal cigarettes, but also joints...According to him, the normal effect of the drugs felt amazingly good, and he found it quite relaxing... But addicted? No, Edd didn't think he was addicted... he just needed it once in a while.  
Okay, he smoked it every weekend, but that wouldn't do any harm... now would it?

Would this also be the future of Eden?

Stuart snapped out of his thoughts when he heared Ed's semi-scared voice.

"Is she in trouble, now?"

"Now, Ed... Eden isn't in very much trouble... we'll just have to hide all the pills for her... don't let her near any of them... it's very bad stuff, you know? She'll get nuts because of it..."

All Ed could do was nodd... Keep Eden away from the pills... that wouldn't be such a hard thing to do.

"Oh, and tell Edd not to give her any of his ciggies, okay?"

Again, Ed just nodded...

"Now, would you leave me alone for a while? I need to think things over..."

"Okay..." Ed said, softly, leaving the man all alone in the small office.

"She's in trouble... I'm in trouble... Oh lord, how could I ever get us out of this mess! First Edd, now Eden... Oh my.  
why do I always get myself and others into trouble?!"

Once again, Stuart held his head.

"Lord no... another migrain... I had enough for one day..."

He pressed a button on a small, black box, and his voice could be heared all through the school.

"Eduardo de la Costa. Venga por favor a mi oficina, en seguida."

* * *

_20th chapter! Now, kids, people might say that drugs are cool and it makes you feel good, but nothing is true about it! It isn't cool at all, and it makes your brain work less good. One of my friends should've been in university by now, but after she started to take drugs, she started to fail andher grades went down... want to know where she is now? Well, she died. She'd took an overdose, and also used alcohol to flush it down. A few days before she died, she told me that she realized that she was addicted, and asked me to promise her never to do drugs..._

_Some people say she committed suïcide... others say it was an accident...  
__I say that the drugs killed her..._

_Now, I want to ask YOU to never do drugs..._

_Much love, and Blessed Be,_

_Hell-N_


	21. Twentysomething

_After years of expensive education,  
a car full of books and anticipation,  
I'm an expert on Shakespeare and that's a hell of a lot  
__but the world don't need scholars as much as I thought._

Edd's voice had changed a lot during the years. The time he spent with the Gorillaz had learnt him how to control his breathing and eventually he was vocally backing his cousin up. His life had made such a terribly big switch, that even he couldn't believe that he did have reached the top of fame, not because of helping the world, but because of being singer. A stupid singer. A stupid, glue-snorting, mind popping singer. And people actually loved him for that.

All those years of studying, and he ended up as a guy who wouldn't have needed an education at all.

_Maybe I'll go travelling for a year,  
finding myself or start a career.  
I could work for the poor though I'm hungry for fame  
we all seem so different but we're just the same.  
_

Not only had he changed in his plans for the future, he also had changed his looks and his attitude. No longer was he the slender, psychotic boy. No, he had changed into someone who trained to stay in shape and who didn't care much about the world any more. Why would he? The world didn't care about him, either. Only the silly twelve-year-old fangirls did.

But he didn't care about those, either.

_  
Maybe I'll go to the gym, so I don't get fat,  
aren't things more easy with a tight six pack?  
Who knows the answers? Who do you trust?  
I can't even separate love from lust. _

Sometimes, he longed back for the good old times. For the times he and his friends were just scamming around in the neighbourhood, the times they didn't know what the future was going to bring, the times they didn't know about the things called 'war', 'drugs' and 'lust'. He just wanted a normal life with his normal friends in a normal neighbourhood, doing normal stuff.

But he'd probably end up doing not-so-normal stuff anyway.

Maybe I'll move back home and pay off my loans,  
working nine to five answering phones.  
Don't make me live for my friday nights,  
drinking eight pints and getting in fights.

Maybe he'd be better off in an isolation-cell, far away from the world.

I don't want to get up, just let me lie in,  
leave me alone, I'm a twenty something.

But that wouldn't make him happy, either.

Maybe I'll just fall in love

_that could solve it all,  
philosophers say that that's enough,  
there surely must be more. Ooooh_

Love could be the answer, if only he found one.

Love ain't the answer nor is work,  
the truth eludes me so much it hurts.  
But I'm still having fun and I guess that's the key,  
I'm a twenty something and I'll keep being me.

* * *

A little chapter, I know, but hey, at least I started again!  
Sidenote: Edd is singing the song in this chapter ;

Changed my name from Hell-N to Art-From-Hell, yesh, because Art From Hell realy became my 'signature'..  
Song: Twentysomething © Jamie Cullum


End file.
